Hypoglycemic and anti-lipemic effects of the aqueous extract from Cissus sicyoides

Glauce SB Viana¹ , Ana Carolina C Medeiros¹ , Ana Michelle R Lacerda¹ , L Kalyne AM Leal² , Tiago G Vale¹ and F José de Abreu Matos³

¹Department of Biophysiology, Faculty of Medicine of Juazeiro do Norte – FMJ, Av. Leão Sampaio s/n, Juazeiro do Norte 63.040, Ceará, Brazil

²Department of Pharmacy, Rua Capitão Francisco Pedro, 1210, Fortaleza 60.430-270, Ceará, Brazil

³Laboratory of Natural Products, Campus do Pici, CP 12200, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza 60.021, Ceará, Brazil

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BMC Pharmacology 2004, 4:9doi:10.1186/1471-2210-4-9


Published:	8 June 2004

Abstract

Background

Cissus sicyoides (Vitaceae) is a medicinal plant popularly known in Brazil as "cipó-pucá, anil-trepador, cortina, and insulina". The plant is used in several diseases, including rheumatism, epilepsy, stroke and also in the treatment of diabetes. In the present work, we studied the hypoglycemic and anti-lipemic effects of the aqueous extract prepared from fresh leaves of the plant (AECS), in the model of alloxan-induced diabetes in rats. In addition, hepatic enzyme levels were also determined.

Results

Results showed that the daily treatment of diabetic rats with AECS for 7 days (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly decreased blood glucose levels in 25 and 22% respectively, as compared to the same groups before AECS treatment. No significant changes were seen in control diabetic rats before (48 h after alloxan administration) and after distilled water treatment. While no changes were seen in total cholesterol levels, a significant decrease was observed in plasma triglyceride levels, in the alloxan-induced diabetic rats after AECS treatment with both doses, as compared to the same groups before treatment. Significant decreases in blood glucose (25%) and triglyceride levels (48%) were also observed in the alloxan-induced diabetic rats after 4 days treatment with AECS (200 mg/kg, p.o.). Aspartate (AST) and alanine (ALT) aminotransferases levels, in diabetic controls and AECS-treated rats, were in the range of reference values presented by normal rats.

Conclusions

The results justify the popular use of C. sicyoides, pointing out to the potential benefit of the plant aqueous extract (AECS) in alternative medicine, in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.